June 16, 2003
In Toronto, the not so long ago desultory crusade of anti-municipal government is growing. The lawn and garden industry, the restaurant industry, local police, the landlord industry, and even the taxi industry have fallen victim to the leftwing-dominated elected body known as Toronto City Council. Voices for the decrease in council members from 44 to 22 are no longer voices crying from the wilderness. The number of those supporting a smaller council is growing. Even candidates for election, including mayoral candidate Tom Jakobek, openly support cutting council down in size.
Yet, most councillors in the current municipal election campaign will admit it’s all but impossible to unseat a municipal incumbent come election time.
While apathy kept municipal voters at home on Election Day, councillors feverishly feathered their own nests between elections. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been taken from the public purse to pay for councillors’ ‘Communications with Constituents’ budgets. How many times throughout the years have you found a newsletter plastered with pictures of your local councillor in your mailbox between elections?
This particular council maintains the luxury of Communications with Constituents (read free advertising) right up until September 25, in this an election year.
November 10 is civic Election Day for Toronto, and any hope for change is dwindling.
But if the courageous Lorraine and Lou Van Haastrecht, of the recently formed Toronto Environmental Coalition, have their way, at long last there’s a great sea change for municipal politics in Toronto on the way.
The Van Haastrechts, who, as lawn industry professionals led the battle against council’s recent pesticide ban, want to join up with TorontoFreePress/Canadafreepress.com in forming a major lobby to impact this fall’s municipal election.
Business is not good in Toronto. Tourism is down, and no level of government seems able to prevent the mainline media from portraying Toronto as the SARS capital of North America.
Incredibly, as the SARS battle was crippling the local economy, our council bowed to the pressure of single interest groups to put the jobs of 10,000 lawn care-related jobs on the line.
Why?
"The special interest groups are well-funded, organized, and have been threatening to make us suffer in upcoming civic elections," some councillors have admitted to members of the lawn and garden industry during last month’s pesticide ban debate.
This is an ongoing debate that has forced lawn and garden professionals indoors to fight for their jobs.
While the special interest groups have been milking the issue with money from council (read public purse), the Coun. Joe Mihevc-led Toronto Board of Health has been requesting $450,000 annually to restrict private homeowners from maintaining their own properties. The result for all city residents: No weed and feed, no ant controls, no mosquito controls, no grub control.
And that’s just council’s impact on the lawn and garden industry.
The current crop of anti-business council incumbents has had a brutal impact on our restaurant industry, our landlords, our police, and our taxi drivers.
When the Van Haastrecht led municipal lobby swings into action, there is only one agenda to follow: The same one that was used so effectively by the single interest groups in keeping council in check.
Single interest groups that control council don’t get mad. They get organized.